


and there's no time in the present

by ladyofdecember



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Alternate Universe, Future Fic, Gen, Pre-Apocalypse, dangerous times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-17 02:16:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14823321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyofdecember/pseuds/ladyofdecember
Summary: Dib and Gaz are living in what seems like the last days of humanity, at least in their little corner of the country. Danger lurking at every corner, sometimes it feels like it's just easier to turn away.





	and there's no time in the present

**Author's Note:**

> "And there's no time in the present  
> And there's a black dog on the bed  
> I went to the backyard to burn my only clothes  
> And the dog ran out and said "you can't turn nothing  
> Into nothingness with me no more"  
> \--I'm Writing A Novel by Father John Misty

Peering out at the billowing smoke cloud that seemed to be accumulating on the horizon, Dib Membrane held his breath involuntarily as his eyes took in the brilliant, neon-blue flames. It was another chemical explosion turned massive fire spurred on by no doubt the high levels of pollutants in the air from the factories that outlay the border of their small town.

Standing in his bedroom on the second floor of their house, Dib pushed closer against the pane of the glass, his nose pressing firmly against it, almost in disbelief at the site. The sun was already setting, another day he'd wasted indoors but now he was glad that he was in fact, indoors, as being anywhere outside right now was definitely a mistake.

Biting his lip, he barely heard his sister's call from across the hall. He forced himself to tear his eyes away from the scene so far away yet close enough to cause the dread within him. 

“What, Gaz?” He said as he turned to face his younger sister who was staring him down from her place in the hall.

“You forgot to buy my noodles.” She said drably.

He stared at her for a minute as if unable to rectify that his sister could not care less that their world was coming to an end. “Wha... uh, yeah, sorry. I guess I forgot.”

Dib turned back to the window, conversation immediately forgotten, as he stared once again at the blue fire that seemed to be looming over their town.

Gaz ventured into his room, only pulling a slightly disgusted face at the mess before tapping him on the shoulder entirely too hard.

“Ow! What?!”

“You forgot my noodles, Dib! What am I supposed to eat tonight while I play Guardian's Song?!”

The boy rolled his eyes at her and motioned to the chaos outside the window. “Really, Gaz?! That's what's important to you? Your video game and your noodles? Have you not seen this?!”

Gaz leaned over slightly to peer around her older brother. Unimpressed, her face remained motionless as her eyes flicked back to his. “Another fire. Yeah. Got it. How does that fix my dinner situation?”

Frustrated, Dib moved around her, grabbing his coat from his desk chair and began stomping down the stairs, intent on investigating the chemical fire further. Once at the front door however, common sense took over and he was halfway into putting his trench coat on before three things came to mind.

1) It was already 7:12pm which meant it would be dark soon. Did he really want to go traipsing around the city at this time of night knowing what kind of people would be out?  
2) The fire had been burning for almost an hour now and that meant the air quality had already reached a very unsafe level for breathing.  
3) And three... Dib wasn't exactly sure he was the most competent person to be dealing with such a thing.

He thought back to the last time he'd tried to investigate the chemical plants and warehouses on the county line and how he'd almost ended up in an explosion himself. Better not to meddle this time, he supposed.

He turned around and began pulling the coat off as Gaz stomped down the stairs and into view. 

She had her hands on her hips. “Fine. Gimme your credit card.”

Dib sputtered. “What? No!”

“Give me your credit card! I'm ordering food!”

“No one's going to deliver in this weather.”

She watched as he made his way towards their kitchen and opened the fridge. “Besides, there's... “ He stopped short as he realized the only thing in their fridge was an open soda can and an old onion that had seen better days.

He sighed, hanging his head low as the gentle breeze of the struggling refrigerator caressed his cheeks. Shutting the door, he leaned up against it and took in the image of his sister who was angrily staring him down with crossed arms.

Dib was having none of it. So they'd be hungry tonight, it wasn't the first time and it surely wouldn't be the last.

He sat down on the couch and clicked on the TV, passing channel after channel of news coverage. Scenes of volcano eruptions here and massive hurricanes there passed him by. 

He paused his channel surfing on a newscast that caught his eye, one of a massive protest in a city not too far off from them. There were hundreds of people marching down city streets, some had begun to break into businesses and of course the army was there too, nothing new about that.

Dib allowed himself to soak in the image as he let his mind wander over the precarious world they now found themselves in. Nothing was safe anymore and that wasn't hyperbole, it was the truth.

If the chemical plants weren't exploding and catching on fire then the severe weather and storms were terrorizing the residents of the city. If their food supply wasn't being contaminated by hazardous chemicals well then, their water supply was going dry again. One thing after another, it seemed humanity had finally reached it's peak. The future used to be something people looked forward to, now all Dib could do was wish for the past.

Shutting off the TV in exasperation, the seventeen-year-old slowly climbed the stairs up to his room once more, intent on shutting out the world as per usual.

Once inside, he shut and locked his door and headed for bed. It may be early still but what did he have to look forward to?

Placing his glasses on the nightstand, he didn't even bother changing clothes before laying down and shutting his eyes tight, hoping that it was all just some terrible nightmare.

...

"Where are you going Gaz?" Dib asked in that accusatory tone he often used. 

It had been a few days now since the explosion at the plant and only now was the air beginning to get back to normal. Well, what they now called normal.

Dib stared at his sister, standing there in her work uniform, hands on her hips.

"I'm going to work Dib, the same place I go every night." She retorted with a tired scowl on her face.

She stared at her brother, not really waiting for his permission but more so curious about what idiotic supposed thread he wanted to lecture her about this time. Finally, he heaved a big sigh and just shrugged.

"Fine. Just... promise me you'll stay off the freeways?" 'Those ramblers have been out all week', he thought but didn't speak aloud.

Gaz rolled her eyes, the pizzeria was right off the freeway and he knew that. "Sure, Dib! I'll stay off the freeways!”

And with that she left, slamming their front door behind her. Dib sat for a moment before pinching the bridge of his nose, shoving his glasses up his face in weariness. He struggled to take deep breaths in and out and calm himself. 

She was a grown woman, she could take care of herself, he tried reminding himself but it did no good. 

There was nothing he could do, this was their life now.


End file.
